NEW YORK -- Marvin Lewis has won The Associated Press 2009 NFL Coach of the Year award for guiding his team to the playoffs during a season marked by tragedy.

The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-6 record, just their second division title since 1990, both under Lewis. They did so despite the deaths of receiver Chris Henry and Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

For holding his team together and leading a turnaround from a 4-11-1 record in 2008, Lewis earned 20½ votes Saturday from a nationwide panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. He beat Sean Payton of New Orleans (11½) and Norv Turner (9).

Lewis is the first Bengals coach to win the honor since Paul Brown in 1970.

I guess, but this is what they should have been. I don't think he coached them up that much. Up until this season, everyone was expecting them to be a 10-6/11-5 team since a few years ago when Carson blew his knee out.

Unprecedented 6-0 division sweep, signing guys off the streets and getting them to produce, dealing with horrific deaths on the team/in the organization, and helping to set a good tone in training camp (which was seen on Hard Knocks)

I'm still pissed that he threw those damn challenge flags last week, though. His skills as a game manager come into question, but the players like him, and he gets a lot of of players whom others have discarded.

If you want to credit coaches on this team for doing a great job with actual X's/O's coaching, d coordinator Mike Zimmer deserves a ton of praise for his work this year.